U.S. patent application number 09/740960 was filed with the patent office on 2002-06-27 for secure wireless backup mechanism.
Invention is credited to Leppinen, Mika, Padma, Sachin, Reddy, Anil Y..
Application Number | 20020081995 09/740960 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24978767 |
Filed Date | 2002-06-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020081995 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Leppinen, Mika ; et
al. |
June 27, 2002 |
Secure wireless backup mechanism
Abstract
A convenient way for securely storing sensitive data in a public
storage area over a wireless network is disclosed. Data that is to
be backed up is encrypted using a public key of the user and is
sent over the wireless network using a Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP) technique and preferably contained within the body
of a SyncML document or an XML document. The encrypted data can be
later retrieved using a WAP technique and decrypted using the
private key of the user.
Inventors: |
Leppinen, Mika; (Woburn,
MA) ; Padma, Sachin; (Woburn, MA) ; Reddy,
Anil Y.; (Malden, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BANNER & WITCOFF
1001 G STREET N W
SUITE 1100
WASHINGTON
DC
20001
US
|
Family ID: |
24978767 |
Appl. No.: |
09/740960 |
Filed: |
December 21, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/412.1 ;
380/239 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 9/40 20220501; H04L
69/329 20130101; H04W 12/033 20210101; H04L 67/04 20130101; H04L
63/0442 20130101; H04W 4/00 20130101; H04W 88/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/412 ;
380/239 |
International
Class: |
H04M 011/10 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for backing-up data in a wireless network, the method
comprising steps of: selecting data within a wireless device for
backup in a storage area, the storage area being accessible by the
wireless client device through the wireless network; encrypting the
selected data; and sending the encrypted data to the storage
area.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of sending the
encrypted data to the storage area is done using a Wireless
Application Protocol (WAP) technique.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of sending the
encrypted data to the storage area includes a step of encapsulating
the encrypted data within a SyncML document.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of sending the
encrypted data to the storage area includes a step of encapsulating
the encrypted data within an XML document.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless device is
one of a wireless telephone handset and a personal digital
assistant.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of encrypting
the selected data encrypts the selected data using a public
key.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the public key is
supplied by a Wireless Identity Module (WIM).
8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising steps of:
downloading the encrypted data from the storage area; and
decrypting the encrypted data.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of downloading
the encrypted data from the storage area is done using a WAP
technique.
10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of decrypting
the encrypted data decrypts the encrypted data using a private
key.
11. A method for accessing backed-up data in a wireless network
from a wireless device, the method comprising steps of: downloading
the backed-up data from a storage area, the backed-up data
containing encrypted data and the storage area being accessible by
the wireless client device through the wireless network; and
decrypting the downloaded backed-up data.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of
downloading the backed-up data from the storage area is done using
a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technique.
13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of
decrypting the downloaded backed-up data decrypts the encrypted
data using a private key.
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the private key is
supplied by a Wireless Identity Module (WIM).
15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the backed-up data is
embedded in a SyncML document.
16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the backed-up data is
embedded in an XML document.
17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the wireless client
device is one of a wireless telephone handset and a personal
digital assistant.
18. A wireless terminal device, comprising: a memory storing data;
a browser that allows a user to select data for backup storage; a
backup module encrypting the selected data; and a backup
application sending the encrypted selected data to a storage area
that is accessible to the wireless terminal device through a
wireless network.
19. The wireless terminal device according to claim 18, wherein the
browser is a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) browser.
20. The wireless terminal device according to claim 18, wherein the
encrypted selected data is sent to the storage area using a
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technique.
21. The wireless terminal device according to claim 18, wherein the
encrypted selected data is encapsulated within a SyncML
document.
22. The wireless terminal device according to claim 18, wherein the
encrypted selected data is encapsulated within an XML document.
23. The wireless terminal device according to claim 18, wherein the
wireless client device is one of a wireless telephone handset and a
personal digital assistant.
24. The wireless terminal device according to claim 18, wherein the
backup/restore module encrypts the selected data using a public
key.
25. The wireless terminal device according to claim 24, further
comprising a Wireless Identity Module (WIM) that stores the public
key.
26. The wireless terminal device according to claim 18, wherein the
backup application downloads the encrypted data from the storage
area, the wireless terminal device further comprising a restore
module that decrypts the encrypted data.
27. The wireless terminal device according to claim 26, wherein the
encrypted data is downloaded from the storage device using a
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technique.
28. The wireless terminal device according to claim 26, wherein the
restore module decrypts the encrypted data using a private key.
29. The wireless terminal device according to claim 28, further
comprising a Wireless Identity Module (WIM) that stores the private
key.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to wireless systems and secure
backup. More particularly, the present invention relates to a
method and system for securely storing data in a public storage
area over a wireless network.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Mobile client devices, such as mobile telephone handsets,
personal digital assistants (PDAs) and wireless computing devices,
will have an ever increasing role in the future for accessing and
securely storing sensitive data, whether personal or system data,
in a public storage area over a wireless network.
[0005] FIG. 1 shows a functional block diagram of a wireless
terminal 100 that provides a conventional secure backup over a
wireless network. Wireless terminal 100 includes a memory 101 for
storing data and a backup/restore module 102. In the situation when
data, such as personal data and/or system data, is to be encrypted
by a user, the user specifies data that is to be encrypted and then
supplies the user's public encryption key to backup/restore module
102. Backup/restore module 102 accesses the specified data in
memory 101 and encrypts the specified data using the user's public
key. The encrypted data is sent to, for example, a public storage
area 103 over a wireless network 104 in a well-known manner. The
encrypted data can only be decrypted using the user's private key.
When the user desires to access the stored encrypted data, the
encrypted data is downloaded from storage area 103 and decrypted by
backup/restore module 102 using the user's private key in a
wellknown manner.
[0006] Nevertheless, what is needed is a convenient way for
securely storing sensitive data in a public storage area over a
wireless network. Additionally, what is needed is a way to
conveniently share sensitive data among different users.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention provides a convenient way for securely
storing sensitive data in a public storage area over a wireless
network. The present invention also provides a way to conveniently
share sensitive data among different users. In that regard, the
present invention provides a technique for securely backing-up data
over a wireless network and then later retrieving the securely
backed-up data. The data that is to be backed up is encrypted using
a public key of the user and is sent over the wireless network,
preferably contained within the body of a synchronization message,
such as a SyncML document or an XML document. The encrypted data
can be later retrieved and decrypted using the private key of the
user. Privacy of the encrypted data is protected as long as the
private key of the user has not been compromised.
[0008] The advantages of the present invention are provided by a
method and a system for backing-up data in a wireless network.
According to the invention, data is selected within a wireless
device, such as a wireless telephone handset or a personal digital
assistant, for backup in a storage area that is accessible by the
wireless device through the wireless network. The selected data is
encrypted using a private key, and then sent to the public storage
area preferably using a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
technique and preferably encapsulated within a SyncML document or
an XML document. The encrypted data can later be downloaded from
the public storage area preferably using a WAP technique, and the
encrypted data is decrypted using a private key.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The present invention is illustrated by way of example and
not limitation in the accompanying figures in which like reference
numerals indicate similar elements and in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 shows a functional block diagram of a wireless
terminal that provides secure backup over a wireless network;
[0011] FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of a wireless
terminal that provides secure backup over a wireless network
according to the present invention; and
[0012] FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram 300 for backing-up data in a
wireless network according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] The present invention provides a technique for securely
storing sensitive data in a public storage area from a client
wireless terminal over a wireless network. The data that is to be
backed up is encrypted using a public key and is sent over the
wireless network using a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
technique and preferably contained within the body of a SyncML
document or an XML document. The encrypted data can be later
retrieved and decrypted using the private key of the user.
[0014] FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of a wireless
terminal or computing device 200, such as a wireless handset or a
personal digital assistant (PDA), that provides secure backup over
a wireless network according to the present invention. Wireless
terminal 200 includes a native application 201, a backup/restore
module 202, a backup application 203 and a Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP) browser 204. According to one variation of the
invention, wireless terminal 200 operates as a WAP client device
and uses a Wireless Identity Module (WIM) 205 that is preferably
tamper-resistant so that the keys, the certificate and the
certification standard that are stored within WIM are not easily
compromised.
[0015] When a user desires to store data within native application
201, such as personal data and/or system data, in a public storage
area 206, the user can select the desired data through WAP browser
204 by interacting with backup application 203. Native application
201 then sends the desired data for encryption and backup to
backup/restore module 202. WIM 205 provides the user's public key
to backup/restore module 202 for encrypting the selected data
using, for example, a conventional public key encryption algorithm.
The encrypted data is then sent to public storage area 206 through
a WAP gateway 207. That is, wireless terminal 200 encapsulates the
encrypted data in the body of a SyncML document or XML document and
sends the encapsulated, encrypted data to WAP gateway 207 through
backup application 203 using the WAP protocol. WAP gateway 207
forwards the encapsulated encrypted data to public storage area 206
using, for example, the HTTP protocol. The particular public
storage area selected by the user is specified by the user and is
contained in user configuration data or operator setup data within
wireless terminal 200.
[0016] Encrypted data that is stored in public storage area 206 can
be accessed by using WAP browser 204 through backup application
203, and is preferably identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier
(URI). To restore encrypted data, WAP browser 204 downloads the
desired encrypted data using the WAP protocol and sends the
downloaded data to backup/restore module 202 for decryption. The
user's private key is supplied to backup/restore module 202 by WIM
205. Once decrypted, the data is sent to native application 201 for
restoration.
[0017] WIM 205 allows that a user can securely store data from one
wireless terminal device and securely access the stored data from
another wireless terminal device. That is, WIM 205 stores the
certification standard, and the keys and the certificate that are
unique to a particular user. Thus, a user can encrypt sensitive
data on one wireless terminal device for storage in a public
storage area using the user's WIM. The user can then access the
encrypted data stored in the public storage area from another
wireless terminal device as long as the user uses the same WIM.
[0018] FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram 300 for backing-up data in a
wireless network according to the present invention. At step 301, a
user selects data within a wireless client device for backup in a
public storage area that is accessible by the wireless client
device through the wireless network. At step 302, the selected data
is encrypted using a public key for the user supplied by a WIM
associated with the user. At step 303, the encrypted data is
preferably encapsulated within a SyncML document or an XML
document. At step 304, the encrypted data is sent to the public
storage area using a WAP technique. Later, at step 305, the user
accesses and downloads the encrypted data in the public storage
area using WAP technique. At step 306, the downloaded encrypted
data is decrypted using a private key of the user that is supplied
by the WIM associated with the user.
[0019] While the present invention has been described in connection
with the illustrated embodiments, it will be appreciated and
understood that modifications may be made without departing from
the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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